Patriot Pantry Emergency Meals Kit, 48 Emergency Food Servings, up to 25-Year Shelf Life

You will learn a lot from going through an emergency situation and relying on emergency products. I take my purchases of emergency supplies very serious and here are some things that I noted about this product. First of all, the tote that the meals come in is NOT airtight or sealed in anyway. Just a Sterlite tote straight off the shelf from W-mart, probably costs $3.00. The tote is impractical for emergency situations. It's not airtight and takes two hand to carry. I opened the tote and was met with a spicy aroma coming from the inside. The food package on top was Pioneer Chili-mac and I picked it up and noticed that the aroma was coming from this package. I gave it a slight squeeze and could feel the air leaving the package from a small hole where the package wasn't sealed correctly at the seam. If this hole was not detected at the facility, that would mean there is a lack of quality control for the packaging process. So I do not have confidence in the packaging for long term storage. THIS IS IMPORTANT !!! The food packages only have a manufacturing date (mfg date) There are NO EXPIRATION DATES printed on the packages. Patriot Pantry claims that their products "May last up to 25 years" on the web advertising. However, this claim is not printed on the label or packaging. "May Last ? " "Up to ?" 25 years ? Maybe if you live in a vacuumed-sealed house.... or they could be hard as-a-rock by next year...and that would still meet their claim of "up to 25 years". This company does not tell you who manufactures their products. The print on the packaging states the the contents was " manufactured for and packaged by Patriot Pantry" Manufactured by who ?? Probably some bulk processing mfg facility that makes the same products for various other packaging facilities. Too much marketing smoke and mirrors for me. Overall I am disappointed with this purchase for the purpose of actual emergency preparedness.There are much better options available

I can't comment on taste for these particular meals, they were bought for long term storage to diversify my dry grains. Other meals I have tasted were good.Currently, I have meals stored that are 3years old.I suggest checking each package when they arrive to ensure none are mis-sealed or punctured in anyway. I have never found one that wasnt, but other buyers have mentioned this happens. No reason not to check them.Pros -The meals I have tasted have always been good.Long shelf lifeEasy to store and stack totesEasy to move if need beCons -Too many servings per bag in my opinion.Bag seals are questionable.Not vacume sealed.Some manufacture dates indicate food already or nearly 1yr old at delivery.

I just tried the Chili Mac. Tastes great! I did some simple math to get one serving (1/2 cup dry food to 2 1/2 cups boiling water). Sounds like a lot of water, but most of it steams off during the 20 minute cook time. Just a bit soupy in the end, about how chili should be. That's all I had for lunch & yes, it's a "Serving", as in a decent side dish to go with something else. Not overly filling for a "Serving", but excellent taste with salt & black pepper added.

the package was damaged when I got it, some of the food has spilled into the container

I bought this for a couple of reasons. One, we seem to get more than our fair share of hurricanes, which means multi-day power outages. (I can only eat so many peanut butter sandwiches, LOL.) Two, I wanted something where we could grab a quick meal every so often, even without a power outage. And of course, I have to plan for a zombie apocalypse. :DI am quite impressed with the container -- it seems quite sturdy. The contents are packed well, and there seems to be a nice variety. True, a lot of the food bags are "4 servings", which is a bit of a bummer if you only want two servings. On the other hand, if you're in a position where you need to use it, only using half the bag and saving the rest in a baggie for later would be easy enough.Now as to the taste. Okay, I know everyone has different tastes -- they like different things. My husband and I like fettuccine alfredo, so I figured we'd give that a try. Let's just say that while it's definitely edible, don't expect a gourmet experience, LOL. So I doubt we'll be using these for a quick dinner here and there, unless I add in some extras (cheeses, veggies, etc).However, for it's intended purpose -- an emergency food source -- it's perfectly fine and I am pleased enough with the value.

Yepper's alike, you just can not purchase something and then wait to see if it something that you will like down the road, you must sample items to see if it is worth while. Great products, I would say a higher quality than the products they advertise on TV

Some bags have holes in them, inspect before storing.

What I tried tasted really good. Supposed to simmer. I just added hot water and let stand for longer.One of the packets had a leak and powered the inside of container.I'll order more.